Peace to return in the West Asia!

BY: Dr. Sudhanshu Tripathi
December 26, 2012

As the two contentious issues in the West Asia, the most tricky Arab-Israel dispute causing long spell of threat to peace and security not only in the region but also in the entire world and another issue which is related to Turkey vs. Israel, proceeding towards a reasonably amicable solution; the emerging peace prospects in the region offer a good prospects for future, on the eve of Merry Christmas as well as the forthcoming New Year.

While thousands of Palestinians and visiting tourists gathered into the West Bank city of Bethlehem on the just gone by Monday to celebrate Christmas against heartening backdrop of the United Nations granting them upgraded non-member observer status for their state and also winning their first UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for their Church of the Nativity along with part of a pilgrimage route in Bethlehem marked for traditional Christmas procession headed by the Latin Patriarch; a prominent NATO member Turkey has decided to lift its veto on non-military cooperation between the alliance and Israel which it had imposed in anguish and retaliation because the Israeli army had stormed the Turkish aid ship in 2010, carrying humanitarian assistance to the blockaded Gaza Strip even when it was passing through international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting into death of the nine Turks. Adding to their woes, Israel had also rejected the Ankara’s genuine demands for an apology and compensations. As a result, Turkey’s relations with its former ally, Israel had deteriorated sharply.

In fact, it was the fruitful outcome in the recently held meeting of the 28-member NATO members in Brussels on Dec. 4, that the Turkish decision to renew its contacts with NATO came to please several alliance-partners of Israel, who, in return, agreed to drop a veto against cooperating with Turkey-friendly countries, notably in the Arab world, perhaps, including Iran. As it is, Turkey will agree to Israeli involvement in certain NATO activities but, at the same time, will maintain its ban on joint military manoeuvres, thereby retaining its right to bar certain category of activities with Israeli on its own soil.
The agreement comes after the NATO conceded to deploy Patriot anti-aircraft missile batteries along the Turkish border with Syria on Ankara’s request which had considerably annoyed and worried Iran thereby causing a major disruption in their mutual ties as was evident from the cancellation of President Ahmadinejad’s scheduled visit to Konya city, just few days back, where he was to participate, on the invitation of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogen, in the death anniversary commemoration of the 13th century Sufi mystic Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi.

Against this back drop, while Turkey and Israel are on a compromise route to strengthen the collective power of the military alliance and the Palestinian are also in an upbeat mood to enjoy their new found upgraded international status in the comity of nations which may finally result into materialising their long cherished dream of their home land with a full-fledged state; the likely Turkey-Iran stand-off over Patriot missiles deployment will, in all likely hood, lead to grave tensions in the already tense and volatile scenario of the entire Middle East region, putting heavy strains on the peace and prosperity and also security of the region. Because, it will escalate tensions between the two prominent neighbours with likely scenario of close relations between Iran and Russia, thereby causing serious jerks on the hitherto prevailing balance of power among member countries in the region of West Asia and also between and among outside powers having close nexus with different countries of this troubled region. Further it will, obviously, motivate the US to vigorously jump into the fray so as to pursue its national interests by forging yet more close ties with all of them in the region as the economic and energy constraints for it are very high as they are for Russia and other countries, too. Thus, the so emerging ray of hope of peace is a good sign not only the overall prosperity and security of the member countries of the region but also for the global peace and security of the whole world.